Method and apparatus for cleaning and separating hair



July 24, 1928. 1,678,525

E. J. OLSEN METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND SEPARATING HAIR Filed July 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet ,1

July 24,1928. 1,678,525

. E. J. OLSEN METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING SEPARATING HAIR Filed July 5, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet A 7 3r 4 a lfin/a/rl Olsen u Patented July 214, 1928.

irsnsrarss PA ENT OFFICE.

EINAR J". QLSEN, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOE OF ONE-HALF TO SEALY IVLATTRESS COMPANY OF MINNESQTA, OF ST. PAUL, IVZINNESOTA, A. CORPORATION or DELAWARE.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND EiEPARA'IING HAIR.

Application filed July 3, 1926. Serial No. 120,489.

My invention relates to the method and apparatus for cleaning and separating hair, particularly the hair filling for mattresses and the like where the same is given con.- siderable use so that it is desirable to clean and separate the hair of the mattresses so as to permit the hair to be used again and to keep the same in the most desirable condition to make a fluffy and pliable hair stuffing for the mattress.

My invention relates to the -means and apparatus for cleaning and separating hair, which is particularly adapted to mattresses such as are used in'railroad berths, where the mattresses receive considerable wear and use so that the stufling of thesame is inclined to break up, and owing to the dust and dirt which is apt to accumulate in a railroad train it is desirable that the mat tresses be cleaned quite often to keep them in a good condition. V i r T A feature of the invention resides in the method of cleaning the old hair taken from the mattressesso that when the hair has been properly cleaned it is ready to be used as a stufling or padding for a mattress or other similar use, being fresh and clean and liulfed out so that in using thesame as a stufling it will make a live, pliable padding for the mattress, which is suiliciently porous to be desirable as is prevalent in a hair mattress rather than having a dead solid nature which is very undesirable for mat tresses particularly in railroad sleeping cars. .My method consists in takingthev har' from the old mattresses and separating the same through an ordinary picker means and drawing and blowing the hair byv vacuum 7 pressure into my cyclone cleanerandseparater, which vibrates and shakes the hair as it passes through the same so as to com pletely separate the small short hair from the longer portions and delivering from the cleaner and separator the long hair, which is thoroughly cleaned and fluffed out so as to be in readiness to be used as a stufling for either the re-mademattresses or cushions or to be used in entirely new ticks which make up the mattress and cushion covers. My method is simple, yet very effective in thoroughly separating and cleaning the hair. e J

of tr e invention resides inprre which operated. in insnnerso riding a cyclone cleaner and separator which is provided with acorrugated wall and a corrugated track means which is adapted to receive the incoming hair and vibrate the same over the track and sides of the cleaner and separator in a manner so as to thoroughly shake the hair as it automatically whirls through the cyclone. As the hair drops from the cyclone track it isadapted to be collected by my particularly designed re ceiving hopp r, and can do this separated from. any short hair or any dirt or dust which may still remain in the hair, so that as the hair passes through the hopper it is discharged into the receiving chamber practically entirely free of any short hair or dust or dirt and in such condition as to make a most desirable stufling for cushions and mattresses.

These. features, together with other details of construction and means of carrying out my method, and together with other objects of my invention, will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and clainjis. i i

In the drawings forming part of the specification:

Figure 1 is a side diagrammatic view, partly in section, illustrating my apparatus for cleaning hair in carrying out my method. Figure 2 is a plan view of the cyclone, p'artof which is broken away to illustrate the track and hopperportion of the same. 7 Figure 3 is a side elevation of the cyclone, a portion of which is broken away to illustrate a central section through the cyclone.

Figure at is a detail of a portion of the hopper.

Figure 5 Figure 4-. I 7 I .My method and apparatus for cleaning and separating hair is illustrated diagrammatically in side elevation in Figural and is a section on the line 55 of picking machine A, which is adapted to receive the old hair taken from the mattresses on the receiving table B of the same. The picker A is; designed to engage and pick the hair apart-sufficiently to separate the same as the hair passes through-the picker.

The rear end of the picker A is connected by the air tube 10 with the blower as to draw the hair from, the picker A through the tube and by means of the pipe 12 the hair is blown up to the top or dome 13 of my cleaning and separating cyclone C.

The cyclone C is preferably arranged upon the root of a building or in any other desirable position, elevated so that the proper space may be secured to permit the hair to tall as it passes through the cleaner C. I have illustrated my cyclone upon the root 1% of a building, which permits placing the receiving compartment 15 for the cleaned hair directly below the cyclone C and this is an advantage as it does not make it necessary to draw the hair away from the cyclone by suction or air pressure and thus the hair can. drop from the cyclone by gravity in the receiving compartment The dome of the cyclone C is provided with and adapted to project above the cyclone housing 16, which is made up in any suitable shape about the body 17 of the cyclone proper. In the illustrations in my drawings 1 have shown the housing 16 in a square formation to provide a dirt collecting compartment 18 about the body 17 ot the cyclone C. This form of housing makes a collector about the body or" the cyclone with pockets in the corners such as 19, and thus seems to give a very desirable means of collecting the dirt and short hair which is dropped from the cyclone as the hair passes through the same The housing 16 is provided with ventilators 2O projecting from the corners of the same so that the air pressure may be relieved from the compartment 18 in the process oi operation oi? my cleaning method gated throughout its length and eitending to the bottom of the body 17. As the hair enters the cyclone C it is adapted to be. whirled about the same passing over the corrugated side wall and the corrugated track 24:, which has a tendency to vibrate and shake the hair to such an extent as to agitate the same to separate the dirt or dust from the hair as it whirls through the cyclone C over the track and against the side wall of the body 17. The air circulation through the cyclone C has a tendencyto cause the hair to hug the inside surface of the wall of the body 17 which being corrugated provides the vertical spaces which are adapted to receive the dust or dirt or short hair and permit the same to fall by gravity and air force to the bottom of the cyclone.

As the hair leaves the cyclone and track 24:, it is adapted to be deposited upon the hopper D, which is made up of a series of plate members 25. Plate memoers 25 are positioned as illustrated in my cyclone C to form an octagon shape to the hopper D. Each plate 25 is made up of a series of rods 26, which extend in parallel relation with one side wall 27 of the respective plates 2:) and these plates are so positioned that the ends 28 ot' the rods Qdad'jacent the nextadjoining plate are adapted to extend over the side 29 of the plate and on to the next adjacent plate so as to deliver any hair striking the end rods on to the next adjacent plate and to provide a hopper with a series of rods such as 26 extending in parallel relation to each other on each plate and thus prevent any clogging of the hair in the hopper D. This hopper construction is quite important as it is essential that the hair be readily discharged from the cyclone C without clogging at the hopper and it is essential that the discharging end of the cyclone C be restricted so as to permit the dirt and the short hair to be collected about the lower portion of the cyclone in a manner to prevent it from entering the receiving chamber or compartment 15.

By making the hopper D of the construction designed and illustrated, with the rods extending parallel to each other on each plate and permitting the rods from one plate to overlap on to the rods or surtace oi the next adjoining plate ll provide a construction which prevents the clogging at the hopper of the hair and permits the hair to slide along the rods 26 freely and out of the discharging end 30 of the hopper D into the receiving compartment 15. In operating the old hair is'fed'into the picker A on the table B and by means of the blower 11 by vacuum the hair is drawn. up through the pipe 10 and passed by force and pressure through the pipe 12 into the dome 13 of the cyclone C. lVhen the hair enters the cyclone C it is whirled. about on the track 24 and against the sides of the body of the cyclone. This operation is rapid as the hair will pass quickly from the picker A and is whirled with considerable force in the cyclone so that bymeans of the corrugated surfaces over which the hair passes itis so thoroughly agitated as to cause the short hair, dust or dirt to be thoroughly separated from the strands of hair as they pass through the cyclone O. Y

The cyclone C is provided with a cente or core member 36, which extends from the dome 13 to the bottom of the body 17. This The cOre 36 acts as a center for the cyclone (land forms a means of providing a between the outer wall and the wall of the core so that the path of travel of the hair through the'discharge opening under any ill? condition in the operation of the cyclone (3. Thus the hair entering the cyclone is caused to be more readily separated and is prevented from falling straight through out of the discharge passageway, 30.

I have found that my method and appara tus for cleaning and separating hair is very ethcient and that it is so particularly adapted to the cleaning of railroad sleeper mattresses as to permit the old hair to be used in remaking the mattresses or for other new mat-- tress ticks to accomplish a result which has, in so far as I-know, been heretofore un known. In fact the mattresses made up from the cleaned and separated hair by my method are very much desired and to be preferred over other means of cleaning thehair.

It is also true that so far as I know no other method has been practicalfor the separation of the short hairwhich is bound to accumulate in a hair mattress under hard wear and it is most desirable to remove this shorthair, as it is this hair that makes the mat-tress undesirable for use, as the short hair so readily stick through the tick and disturb the comfort of the passenger traveling on a train when it is most desirable that a person secure all the rest possible. In fact the short hair in mattresses of this nature have been the basis of complaint so that the separation of the short hair I believe is a very important feature of my invention.

My method is simple in operation and consists in automatically forcing the hair through the cyclone and discharging the clean, flufl'ed hair, thoroughly separated ifrom the short hair, into the receiving compartment. The dirt collecting pockets of the cyclone housing may be thoroughly cleaned I 'from time to time by means of entry by a door such as 32. It is also a feature of the invention to provide means so as to permit.

the viewing of the operation of the cyclone C by means of windows 33, one window 33 being placed on one side of the housing 16 and one on the opposite side so that the operation of the cyclonemay be readily viewed without entering the dust compartment or chamber 18. I

tending from the top to the bottom of In accordance" with the patent statutes I have described the principles otoperaition' oi mymethod and apparatus for cleaning and. separating hair, and, while I have illustrated a particular formation and design for carrying out my method, Idesire to have it understood that the same is only illustrative and that theinvention can be carried out by other means and applied to uses other than those above set forth within the scope of the following claims. I

I claim: s

l. The method of cleaning hair consisting in passing the hair through a picker, a separator, drawing and forcing the hair up and into a cyclone and agitating the hair in the cyclone in a manner so; as to cause the short hair to be thoroughly separated from. the longer hair, the separation being accom plished by shaking the hair as it passes through the cyclone and providing vertical passageways for the short hair to fall through so as to accomplish a thorough separation of the short hair and dirt from the a long hair.

2. A mechanism for cleaning and separating hair comprising a picker, a cyclone means for drawing and blowing the hair into said cyclone,said cyclone comprising an outer wall having a vertical corrugated surface, a corrugated helical track and a slatted hopper adapted to receive the hair in a manner to permit the same to slide through the hopper and out into a receiving compartment.

3 A method of cleaning and separating hair consisting in blowing the hair into a cyclone, shaking the hair as it passes through the cyclone and providing vertical passageways for the short hair and dust to up of a corrugated wall, a helical track within said. cyclone and a collecting hopper below lot) saidcyclone, having an angular nature with parallel. slats to permit the free sliding by gravity of the clean hair out of said cyclone.

5. Ina device of the class described including, a cyclone, means for blowing hair into said cyclone and a helical track within said cyclone whereby hair can be forced through said cyclone and agitated in a manner to thoroughly separate the short hair from the long hair to discharge clean long hair out of said cyclone.

6. In a hair cleaning and separating device including,'a cyclone having a body formed of vertical corrugated material, a helical transversely corrugated track, exe

cyclone vertical passageways formed by the corrugated side walls of said cyclone, and a hopper having an angular nature adapted to said receive and collect the hair passing out of said cyclone.

7. A hair cleaning cyclone including, a cylindrical body portion, a helical track in said body portion and an angular shaped hopper portion adapted to receive clean hair to discharge the same centrally out of said cyclone.

8. A hair cleaning and separating cyclone comprising a body portion made up of a corrugated wall, a corrugated track extend ing from the top to the bottom of said cyclone in a manner to cause hair entering said cyclone to ride on said track and against said corrugated side Walls, to shake the hair in a manner to separate it and to agitate the same to separate the short hair from the long and the dust and dirt from the hair.

9. A hair cleaner and separator including, a cyclone cylinder, a track in said cylinder, core in said cylincer, and an angular receiving hopper below said cylinder having a slat-ted nature, the slats of which extend in parallel relation With each other and overlap on to the adjacent portions to permit hair to readily slide out of said cyclone.

10. A hair cleaning cyclone including, body portion and an angular discharge hopper having a series of plate-like members made up of paralle ly positioned slats, the slats of one of said plates overlapping the slats of the adjacent plate.

11. A hair cleaning device including, a cyclone, having a cylindrical corrugated body, core cylinder extending through said body, a slattedangular hopper at the bottom of said hopper and a housing built about said body and hopper to provide a collective chamber for dirt and short hair.

12. A hair cleaner including, a cyclone member having a center core, a track between the core and outer Wall of the cyclone member-extending in helical formation from one end to the other of said cyclone member, said core and said cyclone member extend ing into a hopper formed of a series of an gularly positioned plate members, said plate members including a series or parallel slats and a housing about said cyclone member adapted to provide a dirt collecting compartment in a manner to permit dirt and short hair to be discharged from said cyclone member and said hopper into said compartment Willie the clean hair is adapted to be passed actually out of said hopper.

13. The method of cleaning hair consisting in picking the hair apart, drawing it from the pickerby air and passing into an agitator which is adapted to Whirl and to simultaneously vibrate the hair in a manner to thoroughly shake it up and separate the short hair and dust "from the long hair, a means for collecting the long clean hair and discharging the same into a receiving compartment. c r

14. The method of cleaning and separating hair consisting in taking the old hair and passing it through means for loosening the same and forcing the loosened hair into a separating and cleaning cyclone consisting in whirling the hair through a helical passageway, discharging it on to a slatted hopper to permit the dirt and short hair to pass through the same into a dirt collecting coinpartment and permitting the cleaned long hair to slide by gravity out into a clean hair compartment.

' EINAR J. OLSEN. 

